Tibet aims high, seeks pro soccer status

At a rundown stadium in Lhasa in the Tibet autonomous region, a small group of fans watched two teams battle it out in an amateur soccer match that lacked neither intensity nor thrills.

Fullback Losang Tashi charged up and down the field, making deft passes and intelligent runs, with the occasional tackle thrown in for good measure.

"I definitely will give it my all in that game," the 29-year-old schoolteacher said before the weekend match. "I once dreamed that I would represent Tibet at the national level someday, and that desire has never died in me."